Archive for the 'Ap Poll' Tag Under 'UCLA' Category

UCLA might not have lived up to its massive expectations in 2014, after the year began with questions of playoff candidacy. But for the first time in 16 years, the Associated Press sees the Bruins as a top-10 team at the end of the season.

UCLA was voted tenth in the AP's final top 25 poll of the season, released last night, shortly after Ohio State's dismantling of Oregon in the national championship. The top-10 finish is UCLA's first since 1998, when the Bruins were ranked eighth at season's end.

UCLA and Oregon were the only two Pac-12 teams ranked in the final top 10, with the Ducks staying put at No. 2. Arizona State (No. 12), Arizona (No. 19), USC (No. 20), and Utah (No. 21) all finished inside the top 25.

It's new territory for the Bruins, who have only been ranked in the final AP poll three times since the 1998 season. That campaign, another one that began with national title hopes, ended in a Rose Bowl defeat. This time around, UCLA's season ended on a brighter note, with an Alamo Bowl victory and a second consecutive 10-win season.

After a disappointing finale to what was meant to be a magical season for UCLA, the Bruins were sent freefalling seven spots in this week's AP poll, with no more time left to prove the pollsters wrong.

UCLA came in at 16th in this week's poll after being blown out, 31-10, by Stanford on Friday afternoon. But that was hardly the worst news from the week -- the defeat also eliminated the Bruins from the Pac-12 title race and also dropped them out of contention for a New Year's Day bowl.

Five other Pac-12 teams again made the top 25 this week, with the division champs, Oregon and Arizona, representing the conference in the top 10 at third and eighth, respectively. Just behind UCLA is Arizona State (17th), and Utah rounds out the Pac-12's representation in the poll, sneaking in again at No. 24.

With four wins under its belt and a challenging trip to the Bahamas ahead, UCLA basketball made its debut in the AP poll this week at No. 22.

UCLA beat Long Beach State, 77-63, on Sunday to finally earn the distinction, and from here on out, it'll have plenty of chances to prove its worth to voters.

Those opportunities start this week: The Bruins will meet Oklahoma in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday, with either Butler or No. 5 North Carolina awaiting them in their second game.

UCLA is just one win away from a Pac-12 title game berth. It just beat its rival for the third straight season. And, for the first time since late September, the Bruins have climbed back into the top 10.

After starting the season as a national title contender, ranked seventh overall, UCLA took a long road back, capped finally by Saturday's 38-20 thrashing of USC. Now, with momentum on their side, the Bruins find themselves back in potential Playoff contention -- a dark horse that needs two straight victories and some help.

A win over Stanford next Friday would put UCLA in place to challenge the Pac-12's highest-ranked team, No. 3 Oregon. But in three years under Jim Mora, the Bruins have yet to defeat the Ducks.

Aside from USC and Utah, which fell out of the poll with losses, the Pac-12 was still well represented near the top of the poll. Arizona moved up three spots to No. 12, and Arizona State, after a strong second half against Washington State, stood pat at No. 13.

Firmly in control of its own destiny and with as much momentum on its side as it has had all season, UCLA moved up three spots in the AP poll to No. 11 without even playing a game.

It's been that kind of week for the Bruins, who watched on Saturday as every team it needed to falter did just that. UCLA now simply needs to win out with games against USC, Stanford, and -- assuming they win the first two -- Oregon in the Pac-12 title game. The playoff, as far away as it seemed a week ago, is now potentially within reach.

Arizona State's shocking loss to Oregon State gave UCLA the reins in the Pac-12 south and led to a seven-spot drop for the Sun Devils, who at 13th, are now behind the Bruins. Arizona, at No. 15, and Utah, at No. 20, both moved up after key Pac-12 wins. The Ducks stayed put at No. 3, despite the rest of the top five shifting around them.

USC, which travels to the Rose Bowl next week to take on the Bruins, snuck into the poll at No. 24.

Less than a month ago, UCLA had fallen out of the AP poll, reeling from two consecutive losses at home.

What a difference a month makes. The Bruins reentered the top 15 on Sunday, up four spots to 14th, after playing arguably their most complete game of the season in a 44-30 victory over Washington in Seattle.

With two games left in the season -- against USC and Stanford -- UCLA could still finish its 2014 campaign back where it started in the AP top 10, but it'll undoubtedly take consecutive victories against the Trojans and Cardinal. UCLA won't have to worry about that this week, though, with its final bye upcoming.

A Pac-12 South division title is also still in play; though, it'll take a loss from Arizona State, which rose to No. 7 this week after a win over Notre Dame.

The Pac-12 was again well represented in the poll, with Oregon remaining the conference's gold standard at No. 3. In addition to UCLA and Arizona State, Arizona (No. 17), and Utah (No. 25) round out the Pac-12's representation.

No team made a larger jump in the AP poll this week than UCLA, with voters moving the Bruins up seven spots to No. 18 following Saturday night's victory over Arizona.

Apparently, voters have grown accustomed to UCLA's tendency toward ugly wins. Not only was Sunday's leap the largest of any team, but it was also the largest one-week jump in the poll that UCLA has had this season.

The Bruins are slotted third-highest of Pac-12 teams in the poll, with Oregon staying put at No. 5 after its win over Stanford and Arizona State moving up four spots to No. 11 following an overtime victory over Utah. The Utes (ranked 20th) and the Wildcats (hanging on at No. 21) round out the Pac-12's representation in this week's AP poll.

A day after sneaking past Cal in a narrow victory on the road, UCLA snuck back into the AP poll after a week-long hiatus.

Winning in Berkeley for the first time in 16 years was enough to convince voters to move the Bruins up one spot, from 26th -- just outside of the poll -- to 25th -- just inside of it. UCLA's hold on that spot is tenuous, though, with Duke just 10 votes behind.

With UCLA added to the mix, the Pac-12 had six teams in Sunday's top 25, but only saw only a few minor movements overall. Arizona State, up three spots after its impressive victory over Stanford, was the most substantial move. Arizona moved up one spot to No. 15, as did Utah from 20th to 19th. USC moved up two spots to No. 20. And Oregon, still the class of the conference, shot up three spots to No. 6, with only four SEC West teams plus Florida State ahead of it.

Six games into a season that was supposed to be its best in over a decade, UCLA now finds itself on the outside of the top 25 looking in.

After its brutal 42-30 loss to Oregon on Saturday, the Bruins were knocked from its 18th spot in the AP poll to 26th, 38 points behind No. 25 Marshall. It's the first time UCLA has been outside of the poll this season.

Parity has hit the Pac-12 hard in the last two weeks, but six teams still remain in the poll, with Oregon ranked the highest at No. 9 after its road victory at the Rose Bowl. USC's victory in Tucson saw the Trojans move into the poll at No. 22, while Arizona -- ranked 10th a week before -- fell to 16th with the loss.

Arizona State is just a slot below its in-state rival at 17th, while Utah moved up to No. 20 and Stanford inched ahead to No. 23.

After a day in which college football's elite went into a tailspin -- with four of the top six teams, including UCLA, all losing -- Sunday meant a freefall.

The Bruins didn't tumble in the polls as far as some. Stanford, after its loss to Notre Dame fell 11 spots to 25th. But UCLA's 30-28 loss to Utah still set them back quite a ways, down 10 spots to No. 18 in this week's AP poll.

Before its late-night defeat, UCLA found itself in position to seize early control of the conference, with a marquee matchup against Oregon waiting next week. The Ducks' loss to Arizona on Thursday knocked them down 10 spots in the poll, as well (to 12th).

The shake-up seemed to hit the Pac-12 particularly hard. UCLA, Oregon, and Stanford all fell 10 or more spots. Losing to Arizona State on a Hail Mary sent USC packing, out the poll for the first time this season. But it wasn't all bad news. Arizona, with the only perfect record remaining in the conference, skyrocketed up to 10th, after being unranked a week ago. Arizona State's miracle buzzer play had them back in the polls at No. 20. And Utah, certainly looking the part on Saturday night, found itself ranked 24th on Sunday morning.

The rest of the poll has little resemblance to last week's edition. The top five features three new teams -- Baylor, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. Auburn's decisive victory over LSU moved it from fifth to second, behind Florida State -- which somehow remained unscatched in the top spot.